Just Hanging (no.11 of 16, from the series, Do Not Abandon Me)
Year: 2009-2010
Medium: pigment dyes print on fabric
Dimensions: 74 x 60.5 cm (29 1/8 x 23 13/16 in.)
Edition: No.4 of 18 + 6 A.P. + 1 H.C.
Acquired from Sotheby’s, 2022
“Do Not Abandon Me” is a collaboration between Louise Bourgeois and Tracey Emin. It was also Bourgeois’s final project which was completed shortly before her death in 2010. Originally released as a series of 16 paintings, “Just Hanging” is the 11th in the series. Emin has openly expressed her deep influence from Bourgeois, and their shared interest in physicality resonates richly throughout their collaborative drawing series. While collaborations between independent artists often occur, it is rare to find one that demonstrates such an essential affinity. In the production process, Bourgeois first painted the body of the figure turning to the side by the spreads of loose paint. The part that Bourgeois painted is half of a pregnant female abdomen and half of an erected male genitalia, to which Emin added later the line depictions. Bourgeois’s depictions are simple, formulaic symbolizations of male and female bodies with their reproductive roles. To these symbolic and characteristic depictions, Emin brings in a concrete narrative, giving each work its own individual character. Bourgeois presents extremely straightforward the physical differences between the female and male body which is rooted in reproductive instinct, while Emin portrays the variations of sexual love and emotions in a vivid and detailed manner. This difference in physicality and view of humans between them makes this collaboration even more interesting. In this work, the female figure is depicted hanging feebly by a rope-like object, which is attached to the very manly male genitalia. As suggested by the title “Just Hanging”, it is a strikingly shocking scene to be genuinely taken as only a simple hanging. The series title “Do Not Abandon Me” implies the idea of codependency. In a broad sense, it suggests an inseparable sexual love. In a narrow sense, it perhaps shows a cross-generational spiritual interconnection for both Bourgeois and Emin as an artist. There are 18 editions and 6 artist proofs in this series, but the only H.C. edition (not for sale) is in the collection of MoMA (NY).
